NCTD PASSENGERS CAN BUY TICKETS WITH APP

Want to take the Coaster train to Comic-Con, the Del Mar Racetrack or elsewhere along the county’s coastal rail line?

Now there’s an app to help you plan those trips.

The North County Transit District this week launched its first mobile ticketing application, allowing customers with Android smartphones to buy tickets on-the-go. An iPhone version is expected in August.

It’s one of the region’s first transit ticket apps, and more are expected in coming months.

Using the app, passengers can purchase tickets for the same day or future dates, according to the district. The paperless tickets include a bar code and are stored on the phones. The app is free to download, and tickets bought through the app are the same price as those purchased in person or online. Once on board the Coaster, the bar code is scanned by transit officers.

The mobile option debuted just before Opening Day at the Del Mar Racetrack, and in the same week as the Comic-Con convention in downtown San Diego.

Coaster trains run from the Oceanside Transit Center to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. Riders headed to the races can stop at the Solana Beach Transit Center and take a free shuttle to the track.

The transit district is offering an $11 “Pony Express” combo ticket through the app, online and at vending machines. The deal includes round-trip Coaster travel and admission to the races. In addition, the district is working to make tickets for its Sprinter light-rail trains available online and through the app, but has no timetable for those rollouts, said spokeswoman Frances Schnall. Sprinter trains run between Oceanside and Escondido.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, which operates the San Diego Trolley network, hopes to launch a smartphone app in time for the San Diego Chargers’ regular season, said spokesman Rob Schupp. He said details should be available in about two weeks.